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AIDS Funding: 'An Epidemic of Waste?' By Matt Pyeatt CNSNews.com Staff Writer February 15, 2002

Washington (CNSNews.com) - AIDS activists will converge on Washington Friday, demanding more tax dollars for various prevention and treatment programs, but one government watchdog group says about $1 billion in federal AIDS money has already been wasted. What's needed is wiser spending of AIDS-related money, not an increase in spending, according to the group, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW). CAGW Thursday released its special report, "AIDS Programs: An Epidemic Of Waste," which systematically shows how federal funds meant for AIDS programs have allegedly been misallocated, mismanaged and wasted. "Overall, we found about $1 billion, about 7.7 percent of the $13 billion in total federal AIDS funding, that is being mismanaged and wasted," Thomas A. Schatz, president of CAGW, said. "We believe that it would be more compassionate to take the money that is being wasted and provide it to the people who truly need it." The CAGW report offers a detailed look at the history of AIDS in the United States, but it is the scathing assessment of the taxpayer-funded AIDS programs that stands out. Included in the report are several examples of the misuse of federal funds. For example, Positive Force, a San Francisco AIDS prevention group, receives $1 million annually from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). According to CAGW, Positive Force offers flirting classes and, last July, hosted a workshop on how to have anal intercourse even while suffering from diarrhea. Diarrhea is a common side effect of the AIDS virus, according to the report. On February 28, the Stop AIDS Project of San Francisco, which received nearly $700,000 from the CDC, will host "GUYWATCH: Blow by Blow," the CAGW report stated. The advertisement for the seminar reads, "What tricks do you want to share to make your man tremble with delight?" Another alleged misuse of federal funding in the fight to stop AIDS occurred in Tampa Bay, Fla., where the non-profit Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan (THAP) "rang up nearly $1,000 in meal charges in a three-week period and were also afforded the use of sport utility vehicles," the CAGW said. THAP's top executives also received four season tickets for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning professional sporting events, according to the report, at a time when "THAP owed nearly $25,000 in delinquent payroll taxes." THAP receives $450,000 a year from the federal government to provide housing to people with AIDS, the CAGW report shows. Aids activist Wayne Turner, the co-founder of ACTUP DC! joined Schatz at Thursday's news conference and agreed it's necessary to stop the abuse of federal funds earmarked for AIDS programs. "As an AIDS activist, someone who has lost a partner to AIDS, I can say that it is so important that people living with and dying from this disease have access to the services necessary to keep them alive," Turner said. "We've been on the forefront of fighting for more money for AIDS and fighting for these programs and demanding passionate and humane treatment for those who suffer from this disease," Turner said. "But, there is another part of that coin when you ask for more money, which has been poorly addressed in the twenty years of the AIDS epidemic." Turner said it was important to make sure the money was efficiently used. "This is a federal problem. There is a federal responsibility to insure that AIDS money is spent appropriately and helps people," Turner said. Turner brought along a tote bag, from which he pulled a water bottle, key chain and other trinkets that he said were paid for with AIDS funding. He called on AIDS programs to quit wasting money on such items and to start helping people. "There are real people who are falling through the cracks in the system," Turner said.

Why is this breaking news?

Sheesh. Are you afraid paragraphs are sold by the pound or something?

Not quite sure what your main point is, but those large obscene salaries are a tiny fraction of what those companies are each worth, providing billions in jobs, economy, and VITAL life-saving services.

They deserve every penny, the b@stards do. It's real easy to hate them for it, but they did earn it.

This lame crud belongs over at DU.

Worst. Post. Ever.

The truth behind the myth,

National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention
Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention


Table 17.	Reported AIDS cases, by age category, transmission category, and sex, cumulative through 2003—United States


	Males				Females				Total

			Cumulative				Cumulative				Cumulative
	2003		through 2003^a		2003		through 2003^a		2003		through 2003^a

Transmission category	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%

Adult or adolescent
Male-to-male sexual contact	15,859	48	401,392	55	â€“	â€“	â€“	â€“	15,859	35	401,392	45
Injection drug use	4,866	15	156,575	21	2,262	20	61,621	38	7,128	16	218,196	24
Male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use	1,695	5	57,998	8	â€“	â€“	â€“	â€“	1,695	4	57,998	6
Hemophilia/coagulation disorder	74	0	5,130	1	11	0	318	0	85	0	5,448	1
Heterosexual contact	3,371	10	40,947	6	5,234	45	70,200	43	8,605	19	111,147	12
Sex with injection drug user	477	1	10,930	1	985	9	24,148	15	1,462	3	35,078	4
Sex with bisexual male	0	0	0	0	223	2	4,402	3	223	0	4,402	0
Sex with person with hemophilia	7	0	80	0	16	0	465	0	23	0	545	0
Sex with HIV-infected transfusion recipient	24	0	505	0	37	0	705	0	61	0	1,210	0
Sex with HIV-infected person, risk factor not specified	2,863	9	29,432	4	3,973	34	40,480	25	6,836	15	69,912	8
Receipt of blood transfusion, blood components, or tissue^b	111	0	5,219	1	108	1	4,076	2	219	0	9,295	1
Other/risk factor not reported or identified^c	7,274	22	62,217	9	3,946	34	27,181	17	11,220	25	89,399	10
Subtotal	33,250	100	729,478	100	11,561	100	163,396	100	44,811	100	892,875	100
Child <13 yrs at diagnosis)
Hemophilia/coagulation disorder	0	0	227	5	0	0	7	0	0	0	234	3
Mother with the following risk factor for, or documented, HIV infection:	61	87	4,232	88	70	85	4,317	95	131	86	8,549	91
Injection drug use	6	9	1,643	34	11	13	1,645	36	17	11	3,288	35
Sex with injection drug user	8	11	784	16	6	7	741	16	14	9	1,525	16
Sex with bisexual male	0	0	95	2	2	2	102	2	2	1	197	2
Sex with person with hemophilia	1	1	21	0	0	0	15	0	1	1	36	0
Sex with HIV-infected transfusion recipient	0	0	11	0	0	0	16	0	0	0	27	0
Sex with HIV-infected person, risk factor not specified	18	26	705	15	18	22	737	16	36	24	1,442	15
Receipt of blood transfusion, blood components, or tissue^b	0	0	73	2	0	0	83	2	0	0	156	2
Has HIV infection, risk factor notspecified	28	40	900	19	33	40	978	21	61	40	1,878	20
Receipt of blood transfusion, blood components, or tissue	1	1	244	5	1	1	143	3	2	1	387	4
Other/risk factor not reported or identified^d	8	11	80	2	11	13	98	2	19	13	178	2
Subtotal	70	100	4,783	100	82	100	4,565	100	152	100	9,348	100
Total	33,320	100	734,261	100	11,643	100	167,961	100	44,963	100	902,223	100


^a	Includes persons with a diagnosis of AIDS, reported from the beginning of the epidemic through 2003. Cumulative total includes 1 person of unknown sex.
^b	AIDS developed in 46 adults/adolescents and 3 children after they received blood that had tested negative for HIV antibodies. AIDS developed in 14 additional adults after they received tissue, organs, or artificial insemination from HIV-infected donors. Four of the 14 received tissue or organs from a donor who was negative for HIV antibody at the time of donation.
^c	Includes 36 adults/adolescents who were exposed to HIV-infected blood, body fluids, or concentrated virus in health care, laboratory, or household settings, as supported by seroconversion, epidemiologic, and/or laboratory evidence. One person was infected after intentional inoculation with HIV-infected blood. For an additional 361 persons who acquired HIV infection perinatally, AIDS was diagnosed after age 13. These 361 persons are tabulated under the adult/adolescent, not the pediatric, transmission category.
^d	Includes 5 children who were exposed to HIV-infected blood as supported by seroconversion, epidemiologic, and/or laboratory evidence: 1 child was infected after intentional inoculation with HIV-infected blood and 4 children were exposed to HIV-infected blood in a household setting. Of the 178 children, 23 had sexual contact with an adult with or at high risk for HIV infection.

Last Updated : March 8, 2005
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention
Contact Us

This is why W had to give them tax relief in the form of prescription payments for Seniors.

Interesting study is the number and "brand" of those who work in Govt high up who are carried by the pharma companies at high salaries when they are out of office (and thus out of a job until they are cycled back in during the next administration).